immortals
by skyewart
Summary: Set immediately after the events of "What They Become". Skye has escaped the city with a newfound ability, she doesn't understand yet. After accidentally unleashing them on an innocent man, Skye runs. She never dreamed of running headfirst into a car crash, or of running into him - of all people. She also never imagined to keep running with Ward by her side. [SkyeWard and Agent 33]
1. pull the blackout curtains down

_It's been so long since I attempted to write a long(ish) fic and it's my first time really writing a canon compliant skye/ward fic, so any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated and guaranteed to be a inspiration/motivation booster. okay, without further ado.. enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>chapter i - pull the blackout curtains down (just not for long)<strong>

* * *

><p>Her heart beats excitedly against her ribcage, sending tremors through her whole body.<p>

Skye can feel her pulse in her fingertips, her toes, her lips, _everywhere_.

The ground beneath her rumbles in time with her every heartbeat and the only thing Skye feels is exhilaration.

She feels amazing. There's a new kind of awareness flowing through her veins and she feels _strong_.

But then her eyes land on Trip.

Her heart stutters, and the world follows it's pace.

Watching Trip's body break apart, breaks something in Skye, too.

—

Her sobs shake her body and the ground.

The debris falling from the ceiling is getting bigger and harder to ignore.

And Skye forms her first clear thought: _I need to get out of here_.

—

And that's what she does.

Skye runs.

Because she's good at that.

Running away.

Leaving a mess behind.

* * *

><p>Every breath rattles on it's way out.<p>

It burns, but Ward keeps on breathing.

He doesn't really know why he does though. It would be so easy to just let the darkness claim him.

He knows his body, knows his limits. He knows he has reached it.

But he also knows himself.

He's a fighter. No matter what life threw at him, he survived. And this time he will, too.

Ward decided in that damn cell, he wasn't ready to die and he isn't going to change his mind now.

—

Somewhere, deep in his mind, he hears the words _if the job was easy.._ but he pushes them away.

_No._

He isn't doing this for _him_. Or _her._

This is his own damn life and the only person he owes it to stay alive is himself.

So, Ward takes another breath, embracing the pain it brings, it grounds him and he opens his eyes.

And what he finds is May. No, not May. Agent 33.

He doesn't think long, he's doesn't need to. Ward has already found his way out of here and he will be damned if he lets this opportunity pass by.

—

And if the lost look in her eyes makes him feel something, he doesn't dwell on it.

* * *

><p>Skye finds May first.<p>

May asks what happened, asks for Coulson and then for Trip.

That's when the tears come.

"It's not your fault." May says and Skye wants to believe her.

But she remembers the horror she felt and she remembers calling out for him. Asking him to help.

Whatever he did to help her, it cost him his life.

Skye is the only one to blame.

—

May guides her to a med team, ordering her to stay put.

"But Coulson-" Skye protests, but May cuts her off. "I'll find him."

And with that she hurries off, leaving Skye in the hands of people she has never seen before.

—

Her minds wanders off as the med team treats her injuries. May said, Coulson had gone down into the city after her. What if Coulson, like Trip, died for her?

The thought makes her stomach lurch and the ground rumbles once in reply.

There's a gentle pushing and prodding on her left shoulder and Skye decides, she's had enough. They shouldn't be wasting time with cleaning her cuts or stitching up wounds, that aren't even remotely life-threatening.

Every person here should be looking for Coulson.

She pushes the person hunched over her away. It's a simple move, her hand on his shoulder, her grip just tight enough to ensure that he moves away.

But the result makes Skye's heart stutter.

She feels it, before she's aware of what is happening. A tingling sensation flows from her hand to the shoulder she's gripping.

There's a connection, she can feel another heartbeat through her fingers and she can feel how the tingling sensation leaves her own body and goes into his.

And then he coughs. Once, twice. He doesn't manage to do it a third time.

His heart stops. Or rather, it explodes. And he crumbles to the ground.

Skye's hand is still outstretched. "I'm sorry." She says, her voice shaky.

And Skye takes off again.

And this time her goal isn't to find her team, but to get away from them.

As far as it is humanly possible.

—

Words, from long ago, echo in her mind as she runs.

_You love to stir things up._

_But you're never around for the fallout._

Skye only runs faster.

* * *

><p>Grant Ward isn't bothered by pain.<p>

Well, he is but if he has to choose between pain and death or incarceration or something equally terrifying, he'll choose pain. Gladly.

So, when Agent 33 tells him that they have no pain killers whatsoever, Ward only shrugs.

"Just stitch me up." He tells her, hating how wounded he sounds.

He would do it himself, but his wounds are on his side and reaching them would be near impossible.

Agent 33 is quick in her movements, sure. She cleans his wounds, threads the needle, holds his skin together and stitches him up.

Ward doesn't close his eyes, if he does, he might fall asleep and that's the last thing he wants to do.

—

As it turns out, it happens anyway.

—

When Ward wakes up, he's lying on a bed. The covers are pulled up, tucked neatly under his chin and there's a bottle of water on the nightstand.

He remembers dimly, that they checked into a motel and berates himself for letting his guard down so easily.

But then again, the look Agent 33 gave him makes it clear, that she isn't trying to kill him or harm him in any other way.

She wants him to keep his promise. Figure it out.

He sits up slowly, taking in the room and noticing that he's alone.

The sound of running water, though, tells him Agent 33 is in the bathroom.

—

Grimacing at the pain, he reaches over to grab the water bottle.

Before his fingers can curl around the plastic however, he sees that the water is rippling softly.

He frowns. Earthquakes in Puerto Rico isn't much of a stretch, but since a group of people is trying to enter an alien city, he assumes the earthquake's cause isn't natural.

Ward checks the time and decides that watching the news may be the best thing he can do right now.

The building Hydra had been occupying has collapsed due to a series of earthquakes. Ward bites his lip, forcing himself not to think about who he left in there.

It's impossible.

He can't help but wonder if Skye has made it out alive.

—

And after he lets that thought take it's course, it's like he has torn down a wall in his mind.

Skye shot him. Took the gun, aimed and shot. Four times.

He is angry. Angry at Skye for shooting him, when he was just trying to help. Angry at himself for lowering his guard and giving her the opportunity to do it. Angry at Raina for saying the words he hadn't dared to think much less say out loud.

_It's love._

He grits his teeth, when the shower cuts off and he hears Agent 33 moving around in the bathroom.

_Love. Love. Love. Love. Love._

Ward closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and holding onto it.

This isn't the time to dwell on feelings. He can't, not when he is injured, not when he isn't sure what Agent 33 expects him to do.

—

He opens his eyes and releases the breath he's been holding in.

Licking his wounds in peace will have to wait. Thinking about Skye will have to wait.

However, Skye has this annoying knack of sneaking up on him. Even in his thoughts.

* * *

><p>When her body grows tired, Skye hot wires a car.<p>

It's easy to fall back into old patterns.

And for a while, driving down a dark, lonely highway, it feels like she has never joined S.H.I.E.L.D.

Like she never got shot. Like she never killed anyone. Like she never fell in love.

The only thing that makes it impossible for her to imagine that she's still the girl living in her van, is the tingling in her veins.

—

She's aware of everything around her. Feels the car's vibrations and how the road beneath her reacts to it.

And she knows, knows that this is something she can never, ever ignore.

It's pure power pulsing through her. Like someone took her blood and replaced it with something new. Something better.

If only that something better didn't kill people.

—

Her hands grip the wheel so hard, her knuckles turn white.

Skye feels lost. Feels like she's sixteen and running from the orphanage all over again.

Only this time, it's harder.

The orphanage never felt like home.

The nuns never felt like family.

But S.H.I.E.L.D. did.

The team did.

Skye lets herself imagine how she turns the car around, calls Coulson, or May, asks them to come pick her up, explains what happened down there.

She lets herself imagine how Coulson pulls her into his arms and tells her that everything will be okay. That none of this is her fault. That they will find a way to fix her.

She knows, that won't happen.

Trip is dead. The guy who tended to her wounds is dead. And Ward..

Skye closes her eyes, willing the thought to stop.

—

Only the vibrations coming from the ground alert her to what is going on. Opening her eyes again, she sees the truck coming straight towards her.

In her panic, all she can to is jerk the wheel left as hard as she can.

Her hot wired car drives off the highway, tumbles, and then everything is happening too fast for her to follow.

The only thing Skye hears is that sound of metal on metal and her own pulse drumming against her ears.

* * *

><p>It's in the middle of the night, when Agent 33 finally speaks up. "How are you feeling?"<p>

Ward only grunts in response. The tv is running, the sound muted. He can't help himself, he keeps watching as the death toll rises.

They have been holed up in this room for eight hours and Ward is beginning to feel uncomfortable. "We should go." He says, not bothering to look over to his companion.

"Where?" She asks immediately.

Ward shrugs, the movement pulling at his stitches.

The pain reminds him of Skye.

"Anywhere." He says and stands up.

His movements are sluggish and Agent 33 is by his side in an instant, ready to catch him should he loose his balance.

"Grab your things, let's go." Ward says.

—

They steal a car.

Ward makes himself comfortable, or as comfortable as he can be, in the passenger seat.

Agent 33 throws him a questioning look. "Where are we going?"

"It's your choice." Ward says and her eyes widen.

He can't help but smile at that. He isn't sure if it shows on his face though.

Agent 33 starts the car and they're off.

—

Ward turns on the radio after about twenty minutes.

It's better than to sit in silence and try to beat down the thoughts that are threatening to overwhelm him.

Agent 33 drives them down a deserted highway and the only other car they encounter is a truck.

—

Half an hour passes, until they see something else.

Headlights. But they aren't shining from the other side of the road. The car is turned over, on the side of the road.

Agent 33 slams the brakes, causing Ward to grip the dashboard.

And she's out of the car, before Ward has time to ask her what the hell?

He follows her at a slower pace and watches as she squats down next to the car.

—

"Hey, you okay?" She asks, the slight mechanical voice sounding worried.

Ward hears a cough in response and a groan.

It's distinctly familiar and his heart clenches.

He walks as fast as he can, holding onto his side.

Agent 33 has opened the door and is reaching into the car.

"Put your hands on the roof." She instructs calmly. "I'm going to unbuckle your seatbelt, okay?"

From where he is standing, Ward can only see her hair. But it's enough.

—

"Skye." He breathes and she turns her head at the sound.

There's blood tickling down the side of her face.

Along with tears.

"Y-you're alive." She stutters and then she laughs. "I thought you were dead. Like the others."

—

No matter how hard he tries to forget her, Skye always finds a way to sneak up on him.

He had been stupid to think this time would be different.

* * *

><p><em>AN: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. come find me on tumblr._

_story and chapter title are from fall out boy - immortals._

_Reviews are like Ward staring at Skye after Raina dropped the L-bomb, not caring about Whitehall or all the HYDRA soldiers around him._


	2. it might be your wounds

_A/N: thanks for the faves, follows and reviews! You guys are awesome. I just wanted to reply to sondrex76's question here real quick: I haven't set strict parameters for Skye's abilities, yet, but she definitely has some enhanced healing. With Skye being the MCU's version of Quake, I'm trying to warp what I have found on Quake's powers into something I can work with. She definitely won't be unkillable, or nearly, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? It's more of a figure it out as we go type of thing for now. But she has the ability to control vibrations, although I wouldn't really call it control. At least not yet. Thanks so much for the review!_

* * *

><p><strong>chapter ii - it might be your wounds (but they are my sutures)<strong>

* * *

><p>Skye wakes up to the comforting sound of an engine humming.<p>

Her whole body is aching and it takes her a few seconds to remember the last time she was awake.

Gasping, as the memory of everything that happened rushes back to her, she sits up.

The car reels at her sudden movement and someone curses.

Skye is in the backseat of the car, behind the drivers seat. The driver, who has just let out a string of profanities, is watching her through the rearview mirror.

"Ah, you're awake." Agent 33 says, her mechanical voice neutral. "I was starting to get bored."

—

Skye's attention drifts over to the the body slumped in the passenger seat. His shoulders are sunken and he's taking deep breaths, Skye can't help but watch him.

"He's asleep." The other woman says and Skye focuses on her. "How did you two end up together?"

Agent 33 gives her an unreadable look. "He was bleeding out, Whitehall died, he promised me we'd figure out what to do, if I got him out."

Skye nods once. That sounded like Ward alright. She massages her neck to ease the stiffness she feels.

—

"So, where are we?" She asks after a while.

"Somewhere near Atlanta." Agent 33 replies smoothly. Skye only gasps. "What?"

The last time she was conscious, she had been in Puerto Rico.

"Ward arranged a plane, we landed in Florida." Agent 33 explains.

"Oh, okay. And where are we going now?"

Agent 33's eyebrows rise at that. "So, you're planning on staying with us?"

"No." It sounds more like a question, than an answer. Skye hates herself for it. "Maybe. I don't know."

And then she looks at Ward's sleeping form and sighs. "I don't think, he'll want me to stay."

At that, Agent 33 laughs.

—

Skye doesn't say, she doesn't know if she wants to stay with Ward.

She also doesn't say that Ward is part of the only family she's ever known.

And even if he betrayed them all, having him around might still be better than loosing them all.

It's a thought, Skye wants to burn out of her mind.

—

Agent 33 pulls the car into a gas station suddenly and kills the engine. "I'm going to get some supplies. Do you want anything?"

"Water would be amazing right about now." Skye says, moving to follow her but Agent 33 stops her, nodding towards Ward. "Stay with him."

Skye falls back in her seat, sighing.

She just hopes, he won't wake while Agent 33 is gone.

—

He doesn't.

Thank god, or whoever, for small wonders.

—

When Agent 33 opens the back door and dumps the bags in the empty seat, Skye clears her throat. "If you want, I could drive for a bit. You look kind of tired, Agent 33."

"Call me Kara." The woman looking like May says immediately and Skye nods. "Okay, Kara. Well, you should take a nap, or something."

Skye gets out of the car and walks up to the drivers side. When she's behind the wheel, she turns to look at Kara. "Where exactly are we going?"

She shrugs in reply. "Just drive."

And Skye does.

She's good at that.

* * *

><p>The first thing Ward notices, when he wakes up, is that the radio is playing softly.<p>

And there's fabric covering him. A blanket, maybe.

He opens his eyes slowly, blinking against the sunlight.

"Where are we?" He asks, before he turns his head to look at Agent 33 but finds Skye instead.

She flicks her gaze to him for a fraction of a second, then turns her attention back to the road. "Somewhere between somewhere and nowhere. I lost track about an hour ago."

He can't help but stare at her. The cuts on her face have healed and he wonders how long he's been asleep.

She must have seen him frown, because she says, "About twelve hours, I believe."

He nods, trying not to think about how she knew what he was thinking without him saying anything.

He thinks of Raina's words again. They echo in his head, like an obnoxious chant.

Like they are making fun of him.

Then he wonders how her wounds could have healed up this fast.

—

Skye inhales deeply. "If you're hungry, Kara's got some stuff in the back."

Ward turns his head to see Agent 33 curled up in the backseat, a blanket over her. It's looks exactly like one that's draped over him.

He reaches for the bags next to Agent 33 and can't suppress the wince that follows.

His body is stiff from sleeping in a car and his wounds aren't helping.

The car shakes a little, as he leans back against his seat.

—

He finds some crackers in the bag and a few bottles of water.

He offers one to Skye and she takes it.

Ward sees that her hand is shaking.

Her eyes however, he realizes, are fixed on his side. "You're bleeding." She says, matter of fact.

He looks down, pulling up his shirt to inspect his wounds.

One of his stitches has opened.

Skye's gaze burns into him. The car shakes again.

They should probably switch it out soon.

—

Skye stops the car and grabs another bag. She pulls an first aid kit from it.

"Lean back, I'll fix you up." She says and reluctantly he does as he's told.

He watches her while she works on his wound.

Skye hands are still now, and they move quickly like she's practiced this.

"There, all done." She says, after a while and pulls his shirt down.

He already misses her touch.

He scolds himself for thinking that.

She's the one, who caused the wound in the first place.

"Thanks." He mutters.

* * *

><p>The silence in the car, after he thanks her, is heavy.<p>

Skye tries keeping her heart rate down, but fails miserably.

Every now and then, she feels Ward's gaze on her and Skye wishes Kara would wake up.

Ward clears his throat, making Skye jump and the car sway a little.

She needs to figure out how to stop the tingling from infecting the car or the ground below her.

"Skye?" He asks and she looks over to him.

"What did you mean when you said, you thought I was dead like the others?" His voice is low, neutral but Skye doesn't miss the anticipation in it.

Skye sighs. "Trip. He's dead."

Ward's eyes meet hers and she knows he can read her like an open book. "What happened?" He asks.

"I went down into the city. To stop Raina. He followed me down there. I got out, he didn't." She barely manages to get the words out, they burn her throat.

She deserves it.

"It's not your fault." Ward says and from the corner of her eyes, Skye sees his fingers twitching like he wants to reach out to her.

"It is."

—

They are silent for a while.

Skye is desperately biting back tears, pictures of Trip's body flashing in her mind's eye.

Her heart is beating heavily in her chest and the tingling is trying to fight it's way out of her finger tips.

She's trying to keep it all in, the tears, the tingling. Skye's so concentrated, she's barely breathing.

Again it's Ward, who breaks the silence. "Who else?"

—

"What?" Skye asks, turning to look at him.

"You said everyone else. I'm assuming, Trip isn't the only one." Ward explains and Skye swallows.

"It was an accident." She says. It sounds like she's pleading and Skye's about 80% sure, she didn't mean to say that out loud.

"What was?" He asks, his eyes fixed on her.

The way he looks at her, his expression, it makes her feel like she's breaking into a million pieces.

Her fingers itch.

—

"The med guy." Skye chokes out, unable to stop herself.

She's about to tell him. Tell him how she killed him with one touch and left him crumpled on the floor, but then she remembers that this is Grant Ward, the manipulative, backstabbing traitor, not Grant Ward, her broody but gentle SO and the words get stuck in her throat.

"Skye." He says, his voice like silk, wrapping around her.

"I shot you." She says, surprised by how cold her voice sounds all of a sudden. "I wanted to kill you, too."

"No, you didn't." Ward says and she's pleased to hear that his voice has lost it's gentle touch. "Or I would be dead."

"That might change soon." She replies, trying to ignore how she feels her pulse in her finger tips and the aching desire to find a release.

"Give it your best shot." He says, his voice calm.

* * *

><p>When Agent 33 wakes up, the mood in the car is icy.<p>

After his last words, Skye has fixed her eyes on the road and ignored him completely.

Ward's aching for a break, to stretch his legs but he doesn't want to be the first one to break the silence.

—

In the past few hours, Ward has managed to sort through his thoughts. Or at least attempted to.

First, Raina is right.

He doesn't like to dwell on that thought though, not when the person in question is sitting right next to him.

Second, he doesn't hate Skye.

Again, no dwelling.

Third, he's angry at Skye nonetheless.

God, he needs to start thinking about things that aren't directly related to Skye.

Fourth, he needs to take a shower. And sleep in a bed.

So, he focuses on the easiest of these thoughts.

Find a place to stay. Easy enough.

—

"Where are we?" Agent 33 asks, chewing slowly on a cracker.

"Texas." Skye replies.

Agent 33 picks up on the mood pretty quickly, Ward notices.

She looks at Skye, then at him.

"We should stop somewhere. Get cleaned up and all." She says and Skye nods once, quickly.

—

They find a small, dingy motel. Skye checks them in, since she's the one who looks least suspicious of the three.

They crowd into the room, and Ward sits heavily on the bed.

"I'll shower first." Agent 33 quips and Ward finds that she's acting differently. Maybe more like her real self? He isn't sure.

When the bathroom door closes, Skye sighs and pulls her gun from the back of her jeans. Ward eyes it, with a smirk slowly forming on his lips. "Are you going to kill me now?"

She purses her own, placing the gun on the table. "No."

It's surreal. He's the one making the snarky remark and Skye deadpanning. Ward almost wants to point it out.

He doesn't though.

Instead he leans back and exhales sharply.

* * *

><p>Skye tries not to watch him too closely.<p>

Every time he moves, he winces.

Oh, he tries to cover it up, but Skye knows him good enough to know when he's hurting.

Or her newfound abilities somehow help her to pick up on subtle shifts in him.

She isn't sure.

But each time, he winces, her mind screams _you did this_.

—

She wants to go help him lie down, instead she crams through the first aid kit.

Grabbing some pain killers and a bottle of water, she approaches him. "Hey, Ward." She says cautiously.

He's lying on his back, his feet still firmly planted on the floor, his eyes closed. He squirms, when she speaks and opens his eyes.

She's startled him, she knows.

"You should take these."

He eyes the pain killers almost suspiciously for a moment, before sitting up and taking them from her.

—

"Why are you still here?" Ward asks her.

Skye shrugs. "Do you want me to leave?"

"Do you?" Ward counters.

"I don't know." Skye replies honestly and sits down on the other bed.

—

When Kara gets out of the bathroom, Ward stands up.

He walks into the other room, closing the door behind him.

The instant there's a wall between them, Skye lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

—

Kara approaches Skye, looking for the first time nervous.

"What's wrong?" Skye asks her.

"I was wondering if you might help me take this thing off." She points at her face.

"Um, sure." Skye replies. Although she's not sure, if she's the right person for the job, but she'll at least try.

—

It takes them a while but they manage it in the end.

When the mask is off, Skye can look at Kara and not feel pain.

It's the first time Skye smiles since what now feels like forever.

—

"Thank you." Kara says.

And for the first time since going down into the city, Skye feels like she's done something right.

* * *

><p>Ward leans against the cold tiles, letting the water wash away all the blood and sweat on his body.<p>

He's too tired to do anything but remain standing.

There are so many conflicting emotions flying through his mind, it feels like they are drowning him.

He let's them.

With his body pressed against the wall, he lets them all come and he has trouble breathing.

_Skye, Skye, Skye, Skye, Skye._

She's everywhere, in his every thought.

He's angry, he's worried.

He hates her. He loves her.

_He loves her._

—

Ward lets himself get stuck on that thought. It's the first time he allowed himself to think it.

_He loves Skye._

It hurts. Hurts him more than the bullet wounds on his side.

Skye's here. With him.

He doesn't know why, but she still hasn't left.

She has stitched him back up. Given him pain killers.

But she also shot him.

—

He realizes the irony of their situation.

If Skye hadn't shot him, she would have never gone down into the city.

And if she had never gone down into the city, she would have never ended up in that car.

Or with him.

He feels overwhelmed and turns off the stream of water and steps out of the shower.

—

Ward's about to open the door, when he hears soft laughter from the other room.

Skye is laughing. It's something he hasn't heard for so long and it tugs at his heartstrings.

Smiling, he leans against the door and listens.

* * *

><p><em>AN: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. come find me on tumblr. __story and chapter title are from fall out boy - immortals._

_Reviews are like the feeling you get when your favorite fanfic updates._


	3. i try to picture me without you

_A/N: oh god, thanks for the faves, follows and reviews! and a special shoutout to **bemzi**, whose review totally made my day and got me to finish the chapter between all the crazy exam stress I am having right now. well, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and leave me some feedback._

* * *

><p><strong>chapter iii - i try to picture me without you (but i can't)<strong>

* * *

><p>Skye can't sleep.<p>

She feels like she's had about sixty cups of coffee and if she jumped right now, she would surely go through the roof.

There's so much energy bubbling inside of her and it's unbearable to lie still in the bed.

Beside her rapidly beating pulse, Skye hears the other two people's slow and languid breathing.

Both Kara and Ward are asleep, they have been for hours.

Skye's mind is exhausted, but her body is wide awake.

It's beyond frustrating.

—

Finally giving into the temptation, she sits up.

Skye checks the time - 5:02am - and bounces off the bed as quietly as possible.

Pacing the length of the room seems like an okay idea but somehow the tiny bit of sky, she can see from behind the curtains, calls to her.

Picking up the gun she left on the table earlier, Skye quietly unlocks the door and slips out of the room.

It's cold outside, not cold enough to have her teeth chatter but enough to wrap her arms around her middle.

Skye walks away from their room, towards the deserted parking lot.

There's a pink tilt to the horizon far in the east and Skye sits down on the gravel to watch the color spread slowly.

Remembering her training with May, Skye takes a deep breath through her nose. Holding the air in her lungs for a few second, Skye tries to relax before slowly exhaling through her mouth.

She repeats the process over and over again until she catches a glimpse of the sun.

—

"Skye?"

All her hard work goes to waste when his voice makes her jump and the tingling in her fingers rushes out of her.

It feels like a tidal wave of pure power is flowing out of her, vibrating as it does so and the force makes her want to throw her head back and laugh.

It's amazing and completely terrifying at the same time.

The gravel beneath her rumbles and Skye is dimly aware that she isn't alone.

She turns her head slowly.

—

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Ward says once their eyes meet and approaches her.

"You didn't." Skye lies blatantly, turning back to watch the rising sun.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Ward asks and from the corner of her eyes, Skye sees him looking at the ground underneath her.

Skye clenches her fists and the movement ebbs away slowly.

He sits down next to her, close enough for her to feel the warmth that's radiating off his body.

Only then does Skye realize how cold she is.

She resists the urge to lean closer to him.

* * *

><p>As a spy you need to be observant, keep an eye out for every little detail.<p>

And with Ward being indeed one of the best spies there is, he is aware of Skye.

Or rather aware of how things seem to be shaking around her whenever her composure slips.

—

Ward has to bite his tongue to keep himself from asking her about it.

He wants to know what has happened to her but he knows she won't answer, so it's no use.

She hasn't given him a straight answer since they found themselves in this strange predicament.

All she does is evading his questions and turn them back on him.

—

"How are you feeling?" She asks him suddenly.

Her eyes are fixed on his, an unreadable expression on her face.

He has the urge to reach for her.

"I'm fine." He lies, but changes his mind halfway through it. "A little sore, perhaps. How about you?"

Skye tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and sighs. "I don't know."

Ward knows she's being honest with him right now.

It's almost enough for him to ask her.

Almost.

—

He hears shuffling from behind then and Agent 33 comes to stand over them, her hands on her hips. "What are you two doing out here?"

Ever since Skye and her removed the mask, Agent 33 lost the tenseness in her body.

She looks much more relaxed and far less stoic.

But maybe that is because she isn't wearing May's face anymore.

At least one of them is doing better, he thinks bitterly.

"I am starving and I don't want to eat salty crackers again." She says, when neither of them moves and just stare at her. "There's absolutely nothing stopping us from having a decent meal right now."

—

Ward resists the urge to remind Agent 33 that both he and Skye are kind of running from S.H.I.E.L.D. right now, albeit for different reasons.

He isn't quite sure what Skye's reason is or why she isn't trying to haul his ass back to S.H.I.E.L.D., but for the time being, he can accept staying in the dark about her motivations.

As long as she's around, so that he can make sure she doesn't get in any trouble.

—

With a sigh, Skye stands up and offers her hand to Ward.

Their eyes meet and the look Skye gives him reduces any notions of declining her offer to help him up to dust.

There's no trace of loathing in her eyes.

The last time she looked at him like that was before he shot Thomas Nash.

—

He takes it and when her fingers curl around his, a warm sensation flows up his arm.

Right into his heart.

—

"Let's go get some breakfast then." Ward says a little breathless, when he is standing up and Skye lets go of his hand.

—

The three of them clear their motel room efficiently and Skye checks them out.

They aren't on the road for long, Agent 33 stops at the first decent looking town and they buy clothes to get rid of the rags they are wearing.

After getting changed and looking less suspicious, they find a diner and crowd into a booth, ready to have a real meal for the first time in days.

* * *

><p>Skye isn't sure why she's still sticking around.<p>

Sure, she has argued herself into believing that having Ward (and Kara) around is better than being all alone, but that isn't it.

She can't quite put her finger on the why but whenever Skye touches Ward, it's so much easier to ignore the itching in her veins.

Maybe it's because she's always been so aware of Ward, aware of even the tiniest bit of contact between them.

And she's been craving that contact for so long.

_No_, she tells herself decidedly, ignoring the path her thoughts are leading her down.

It's just the fear of being alone talking.

And for what feels like the millionth time since she started running, Skye wonders what her team is doing.

—

"I need access to a computer." Skye says finally, done with pushing her food around in the plate.

Ward and Kara look at her, then at each other. Kara looks like she's waiting for Ward's directions but almost immediately her expression changes and she looks back at Skye. "Okay. Do you have a plan?"

Skye smiles at her.

While trying to remove her mask, Kara told her how she was slowly starting to remember who she was and what had been done to her.

And Skye told her about Donnie Gill - another person, who was dead because of her, she thinks bitterly - and how he had managed to free himself from Hydra.

Skye realizes that Kara might be just as broken as she is.

—

"What are you going to do?" Ward asks her.

Skye shifts her eyes over to him. "Check on them."

Ward just nods, understanding who them is without needing any clarification.

But there's a question he's holding back and Skye knows exactly what it is.

* * *

><p>The diner has a private room in the back, close to the restrooms.<p>

Ward remains seated in their booth, a cup of coffee in front of him, while Skye and Agent 33 make their way to the two doors.

It's still early and the only other people in the diner are two employees, who both look like they are still half asleep.

Agent 33 covers Skye, while the other picks the lock and slips through the door. Then Agent 33 walks into the bathroom, but leaves the door open.

The mirror there gives her the perfect opportunity to check on Skye and the staff at the same time.

—

Skye told them she wouldn't be long and true to her word, after ten minutes she emerges from the room.

Agent 33 and her walk back to their booth, where Ward finishes up his coffee and stands. "We ready to go?"

Skye nods once, her teeth gritted and her eyes darting around, looking at the room.

_Assessing_, Ward corrects himself. She's nervous.

And it makes both him and Agent 33 nervous as well.

—

They leave the diner, trying not to appear suspicious but Skye's sudden change in demeanor puts both specialists on edge.

Agent 33 slides into the drivers seat and Skye jumps into passenger seat, before Ward has the chance to do so.

Once he closes the door behind him, Agent 33 starts the car and drives off the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Skye knows that both Ward and Kara picked up on her twitchiness.<p>

So, she isn't surprised when Ward leans forward and asks her, "What did you find out?"

Skye takes a deep breath and looks at him. "They are looking for me."

Ward's expressions change too quickly for Skye to follow them. Still she catches some of them, first confusion, then doubt and lastly resolution.

Oh, crap.

—

"Stop the car, Agent 33." Ward says, not taking his eyes off Skye.

Her heart starts pounding against her ribcage, but Skye fists her hands to keep the tingling from spreading.

"It's Kara." Kara says automatically, but seems to pick up his sudden change in tone.

"Stop the car, _Kara_." Ward bites and she follows his order.

—

Skye turns her body around to look at Ward properly. "You gonna kill me?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

She's trying to hide how terrified is, but has the creeping suspicion that Ward knows exactly what she's doing.

"Dammit, Skye." Ward curses, and his voice is no longer cold. If anything he sounds exasperated. "Tell me what happened."

"I already did." She protests, her voice on the verge of breaking.

"To you, Skye. Tell me what the hell happened to you." And only then does Skye realize what the expression on his face is.

It's desperation.

—

Her heart stutters. Her eyes burn. And before she's aware of what she's doing, she stumbles out of the car and starts running.

She can't keep it together, can't stop the tingling from spreading.

It explodes out of her and the ground starts shaking beneath her feet.

—

Still, Skye runs.

She doesn't dare to look back.

She can't take the sight of the car speeding away from her.

Of her last hope running from her.

—

Trip's face flashes before her eyes.

His last expression frozen as he turns to stone and then to dust.

A hand curls around her arm and pulls her back.

A sob forces it's way out of her throat. Even to her own ears, Skye sounds broken.

_Beyond repair._

—

Skye falls back against the hard mass of body and whatever fight was left in her, leaves her body upon impact.

Her knees give in and the only thing that keeps her from crumbling to the ground is Ward wrapping his arms around her.

Skye lets the tears come, lets them flow freely and buries her face in his chest.

"It's okay, Skye." She hears him say, his presence drowning out anything else. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

><p>Kara doesn't know how Ward does it.<p>

Managing to talk Skye down from a full-blown panic attack while standing in the epicenter of an earthquake and with two gunshot wounds to his side.

But he does and he brings her back to the car.

—

Skye looks miserable, her eyes puffy red and her teeth chattering soundly.

"I'm sorry." She says, over and over again.

She might be saying other things as well, but quietly and she's still sobbing, so Kara can't make sense of her other words.

Ward gently guides her into the backseat and slides in after her.

She lets him drape his arm around her and pull her against his side.

Kara tries not to stare at them too obsessively, but can't help herself.

—

Skye turns her face against Ward's chest and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. Or trying to.

Her whole body is shaking and so does everything else around them.

Ward leans his head down, his mouth close to her ears and starts talking to her.

What he says, Kara can't make out and she knows it's not for her to hear.

Once their surroundings stop shaking, she turns her attention away from them and starts the car.

—

"I'll find us a place to stay." She says quietly and meets Ward's eyes in the rearview mirror.

He nods once and then leans down close to Skye.

Kara fights the urge to smile.

It's really inappropriate, she thinks and keeps an eye out for a place to stay.

* * *

><p>Skye wakes up in a dark room.<p>

She doesn't even have the time to get panicked, because right when she lets out a little gasp, a nightlight flashes on.

"Hi." Ward says softly and Skye looks up at him.

He sits on the bed next to hers and looks like he might pass out at any minute.

"You look like crap." Skye states, her voice scratchy in her throat.

"Thanks." Ward says and he actually smiles a little. "You, too."

Skye's heart aches at the familiarity of the situation.

Like old times.

—

"Why did you come after me?" She asks him after a while.

There's no trace of Kara in the room and there is no sound of running water.

Maybe she freaked out and left.

Leaving Ward to deal with the mess.

Skye wouldn't blame her.

—

"Because you ran." He says, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, because-" She chokes on her words and hopes she doesn't have to finish her words.

Ward gets up from the bed he's sitting on and comes over to hers. He stands before her, waiting for her to protest or move away. When she doesn't, he sits down. "Skye, I don't want you to leave. Not if you don't want to."

Skye doesn't know what to say at that. His tone is so soft, so comforting.

She adverts her eyes, choosing to look at his side instead.

The side she fired at.

—

How long has it been since he kidnapped her off the bus and brought her to Hydra?

And now he is saying, he doesn't want her to do anything that goes against her will.

"I'm sorry." Ward says and Skye looks up at him.

He leans in closer, close enough to make her feel his body heat, and starts again, "It's my fault. You wouldn't have been there, if I hadn't-"

"Been shot by me?" Skye asks bitterly.

He gives her a stern look. A look that is 100% SO Ward.

Skye bites her lip, fighting the onslaught of emotions that are threatening to overwhelm her.

"So, we both messed up, then?" Ward asks, his eyes roaming over her face.

Skye nods slowly and she actually breathes a little easier. "Big time."

—

A little voice in her mind reminds her that they haven't messed up.. they quite simply _are messed up._

Both of them.

The traitor and the..

She doesn't even know what she is anymore.

Not an alien. Not completely human, either.

_Monster_, her mind suggests and Skye tries to drown it out.

* * *

><p>This time they sit in comfortable silence, both their backs leaning against the headboard of the bed and their arms barely touching.<p>

Skye takes deep breaths, holding them in for a few seconds and releasing them slowly. He lets her, trying not to disturb.

Ward isn't afraid of Skye or the weird things she seems to be causing.

He doesn't care about it.

Okay, he does, but not in the way that leads to assessing her powers and use them for his own gain.

He cares, because she does. And because it could be dangerous for her.

—

In that moment, Ward realizes that he isn't really angry anymore.

Well, he is angry. But his anger isn't directed towards Skye.

It's everyone else really.

Her father. Coulson. Himself, always himself.

Everyone, but Skye.

—

He can't really stop himself. The words rush out of him before he's even aware he is going to speak.

"I'm sorry, Skye. I shouldn't have gotten you off the bus."

She turns her head to look at him, a small smile forming on her lips.

"I want to say that I'm sorry for shooting you, but you kind of had it coming." She confesses and Ward sees right through the lie.

"I'm not going to leave, Skye. No matter what you say. Not as long as you don't want me to."

"We'll see." She says, but still she leans her head against his shoulder and closes her eyes.

—

Skye is fast asleep, curled against his side, when Kara enters the room.

She's carrying two bags and her expression can only mean one thing.

Bad news. Lots of them.

"Did you get in?" Ward asks, his voice barely audible.

She nods, dropping the bags and sitting down on the couch.

Gently Ward lifts Skye away from him and lays her down properly.

When he sits down next to Kara, she starts talking, "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s indeed looking for her. It says she's gifted, abilities unclear, but she's unstable and dangerous. They want her back alive though."

"Who sent the message out?" Ward asks, looking over to Skye's sleeping form.

"Agent May."

He nods, dread spreading in his stomach.

"There's one more thing." Kara says, causing Ward to look back at her. "I think there's someone trailing us."

* * *

><p><em>AN: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. come find me on tumblr. __story and chapter title are from fall out boy - immortals._

_Reviews are like finding money in clothes you haven't worn in a while._


	4. i'll be the guard dog

_A/N: thank you guys for the faves, follows and reviews!_

* * *

><p><strong>chapter iv - <strong>**i'll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams**

* * *

><p>Ward isn't a trusting person.<p>

He'd be stupid to give anyone the benefit of the doubt. Especially in this line of work.

Still, he's surprised that Melinda May - of all people - is leading the manhunt for Skye.

—

Once he manages to tear his gaze from Skye, a series of questions form in his mind.

Why has May sent the order out?

Why not Coulson?

Is he simply too fond of Skye to send all of his allies after her?

Or is it because Coulson isn't operational enough to give any orders?

—

No matter how he twists and turns it though, Ward can't figure out why any S.H.I.E.L.D. agent or ally would just trail them.

And that's when the pieces slowly come together. "It's not S.H.I.E.L.D." He says, his eyes meeting Kara's.

She tilts her head and the glint in her eyes tell Ward she agrees.

And he knows that she dreads the unasked question and it's most likely answer just as much as he does.

"Hydra." Kara whispers and her voice trembles as she does.

Ward nods. "We need to go. Now."

He stands, allowing himself one more second to watch Skye as she breathes calmly in her sleep and then he picks up her gun.

"I'm gonna get us a new car." He doesn't say _wake Skye and explain the situation, _he just heads for the door.

* * *

><p>A gentle hand shakes Skye awake.<p>

Opening her eyes proves to be difficult, after all the crying she has done earlier her lids do not want to be opened so soon.

"Skye, c'mon." The urgency of Kara's voice makes something inside of Skye snap to attention and she sits up, rubbing her bleary eyes. "What's going on?"

"We need to get going." Kara replies, straightening up and stepping away from the bed.

—

"Now? Where's Ward?" She adds, once her eyes sweep the room and she can't spot him anywhere.

"He's getting us a new car." And while she says it, Kara looks over her shoulder.

It rings all of Skye's alarms. "What's wrong?"

"We have a tail."

Skye freezes halfway off the bed, her eyes widening. "S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"No." Kara reassures her, turning back to look at Skye with something akin to pity in her eyes. "We think it might be Hydra."

Skye feels wide awake now and is out of the bed and ready to go in record time.

—

The two women exit the room and find Ward and their new car waiting just outside the door.

"You're not driving." Skye tells him decidedly once she takes in his appearance. It's painfully obvious he hasn't slept since they checked in. "Move over."

He sighs, but complies.

—

Skye gets into the drivers seat and waits until they are on the highway before she speaks again. "Where are we going?"

"Doesn't matter." Ward replies, as he leans out of the window to adjust the mirror by his door.

"Hey, I kind of need that to drive." Skye tells him. _And make sure we aren't followed_, she wants to add. But that's obvious anyway.

Once he finishes, he moves his seat into the right position and only then does he answer. "You drive and I'll watch our backs, okay?"

Grant Ward watching her back. Sounds like something that can only end in a disaster.

But there's also a part of her that feels safer with him riding shotgun.

It's because he's good at what he does, Skye tells herself.

—

"So, what exactly is the plan?" She asks after about thirty minutes.

They haven't bothered to turn the radio on and the silence in the car is making her all the more nervous.

The tingling in her fingers has turned into full-blown vibrations and she's gripping onto the steering wheel like her life depends on it.

Their life, actually. And literally.

Ward's been watching the mirror ever since they left the motel, his jaw clenched.

And both he and Kara are wearing matching expressions.

Calculating ones.

Skye wonders if they realize that the person driving their car is a ticking time bomb.

—

After what feels like an eternity, someone answers her question.

"It would be best to pick a location that gives us a tactical advantage and draw them out." Kara says, leaning forward.

"We have only two guns." Ward simply says.

"Yeah," Kara counters and even though Skye can't see her face, she can feel her smile. "but we have Skye."

Skye whips her head around to look at Kara with wide eyes.

Ward sighs. It's a long, deep sigh and it tells Skye that he has at least considered it, too.

It also tells her that both of them are aware of how hard Skye is trying to keep herself together.

"I can't really control it, you know." She fixes her eyes on the road in front of her and her voice comes out small and timid.

—

"Skye." Ward starts but Skye interrupts him. "You two need to be away from me, as far as possible. Put enough distance between us, so that you aren't effected by whatever I do. Besides, they want me anyway."

"We're not using you as bait, Skye." Ward tells her firmly, but Skye feels a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Kara's hand is warm and she gives Skye a reassuring squeeze and says, "You just have to distract them long enough for us to take them down."

Ward is so silent that Skye turns her head towards him. "You got something to say?" She all but growls and he shoots a glare towards Kara, then Skye.

"You're concerned, I get it. But May trained me, I can handle myself." She says with an air of finality and faces the road again.

—

Speaking about May hurts.

The knowledge that her SO described her as a potential threat, an unstable and dangerous one at that, makes Skye want to crawl into the deepest, darkest hole and cry for weeks, at least.

Everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. knows what _unstable and dangerous_ means.

Skye's not someone, who will be handled gently and with care once they find her. The order is to bring her in, _by any means necessary_.

And if that isn't possible, well.. Skye tries very hard not think of how she shot Donnie Gill and how his lifeless body fell into the ocean.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is - _was_ - her family.

But all she is to them now is either an asset, a lab rat or an enemy.

They were her first and only constant.

She's just an if to them.

A sob is trying to crawl it's way out of her throat but Skye swallows it down.

And notices how the car is shaking beneath her.

Skye takes a deep breath and the shaking stops slowly but eventually.

—

"I know you do." Ward says, his voice so quiet that Skye almost, _almost _misses it.

* * *

><p>They stop at a gas station around noon.<p>

The three of them tumble out of the car and stretch out their tense limbs.

"I'm starving." Skye groans as she walks past Ward and starts gassing the car.

"Me, too." Kara chimes in.

"I'll see what they have." Ward tells them, but only after he takes a long look around to check they are safe, does he walk away form them.

He walks through the station, checking the very few shelves for anything that is more nutritional than a bag of chips.

Ward is disappointed, to say the least.

He's about to grab about a dozen bags of trail mix, when Kara comes up to him. "That's not gonna be enough." She informs him before filling the tiny basket she's holding with an array of junk food.

"You do the shopping then, I'm gonna check on Skye."

—

He finds her sitting on the hood of the car. She's leaning back on her hands, legs stretched out before her, head tipped back.

Her eyes are closed and Ward is about to remark that being on the run isn't the time to relax in the sun, when she speaks up. "Tell me you've brought something to eat."

Instead he chuckles. "Sorry, Kara's still picking through the store."

She sighs but her eyes remain closed. He can't tear his gaze from her. A small smile forms on her lips. "Enjoying yourself?" She asks and opens her eyes.

He doesn't bother to look away, act like he hasn't been staring at her for the past minute.

She sits up and leans over to him. "You keep looking at me like I'm gonna break down any second now." She tells him, conversationally.

"Are you?" He counters, trying to match her tone.

She sighs, deeply and leans back again. "Honestly? I don't know."

—

Ward closes the distance between them and only stops moving when his legs hit the car.

Skye doesn't move away, doesn't move closer either, just keeps watching him with that unreadable expression of hers.

His heart is pounding against his rib cage and he wonders briefly if she might be able to hear it.

"Skye-" He doesn't know what to say, but he wants to do something.

Anything that can help.

So he reaches for that loose strand of hair, slow enough for her to see and pull back if she wants to.

When she doesn't, he tucks it behind her ear.

—

Skye's gaze burns into him and Ward's trying so hard to keep his breathing even.

"How do you do that?" Skye asks suddenly, her voice pained.

"Do what?"

His fingers linger, cupping her cheek lightly.

He can't bring himself to let go yet.

"That." She says and covers his hand with her own. "Touch me and not be afraid of what I might do to you."

Her eyes are wide and shine with unshed tears.

She's shaking under his touch.

It hurts more than being shot four times.

—

"Because I-"

His throat closes and he tries desperately to think of anything but _that._

He wants to tell her that not touching her is torture.

That he would go to the ends of the world to stop her from feeling the way she is now.

That he would risk his own life if it meant making hers better.

He doesn't say any of that, because she's finally started to open up to him and he doesn't want to destroy that.

She doesn't feel the same way, she's made that painfully clear.

* * *

><p>Skye waits - waits and watches him as he thinks.<p>

The tidal wave of emotions that is surging beneath her skin tries to fight its way out of her.

His hand cradling her face feels like a lifeline.

Skye holds onto it.

With everything she has.

—

"Because I'm all you've got."

—

It's not what he was trying to say before and some part of Skye is glad that it's not.

His voice isn't as gentle as it was when he stammered out the other two words.

No, it's calm and he says it like he's stating a fact.

Like it's the only truth he knows and she really should have, too.

Maybe he's trying to be cruel.. Maybe he just thinks it's obvious.

But above all, he's right.

—

She can't stop the single tear that falls from her eye.

Ward's other hand comes up to catch it and wipe it away.

It feels like he's trying to erase the agony she's feeling.

And Ward _is_ right.

He is all she's got.

—

Ward is the only person, who ever mattered to her and did not end up turning his back on her.

But he is also the one, who betrayed her in the worst way possible.

She opened up to him, let herself hope for something and he used that against her.

Let it crumble and turn to dust.

Left her broken_(hearted)_.

—

But she is in pieces now and her family is after her.

And Ward is here, holding her face with his big, warm hands and looking at her like she's the most precious thing in the world.

Not long ago she hated the way he looked at her - no, she hated how it _made her feel_, but now...

—

Everything feels different now.

Her world has been turned upside down and she doesn't know what's right and wrong anymore.

Skye never felt more lost.

Not when she was thirteen and her foster dad told her no one would ever believe her if she told them.

Not when she ran from the orphanage taking nothing but her school bag with her.

Not when she had nowhere to go and slept on a park bench for weeks.

Not when she didn't know how to keep herself from starving.

—

But right now there's one thing that keeps her from loosing the last bit of control she has over herself.

His hands on her skin.

—

She never had someone, who stayed.

She never had anyone, who just didn't want to leave her.

Or give up on her.

—

"Yes, you are." She says, with a small smile and closes her eyes.

* * *

><p>Kara doesn't get to wonder for long why Ward hasn't come back to complain about her taking too long.<p>

Equipped with three full bags and a laptop under her arm, Kara spots Skye sitting on the hood of the car and Ward standing in front of her.

His hands are holding her face and they are so close, their foreheads are almost touching.

Their eyes are closed and for a brief moment Kara considers just walking back into the station and let them have this moment.

But there's someone after them and they need to keep moving.

So, she announces her arrival by saying, "I come bearing gifts."

—

As expected, they break apart. Both of them look startled, like they don't quite understand what just happened.

Even as Ward moves away from Skye, he seems reluctant to do so. She slides off the hood and lands softly on her feet.

Kara feels like an intruder, but then Skye looks at her and gives her a brilliant smile.

It's those kinds of smiles that warm your heart and Kara can't stop herself from smiling back.

Skye spots the laptop under Kara's arm and a glint, Kara has never seen before, appears in her eyes.

"Oh, my god!" The other woman lunges for the laptop and has seemingly forgotten all about how hungry she is.

—

Kara catches sight of Ward and the small smile on his face as he claims the passenger seat.

Skye has made herself comfortable in the backseat, with her legs tucked under her and the computer on her lap.

"It might be password protected." Kara warns Skye, as she gets into the car and starts it. "I nicked it while the cashier was in the backroom."

Skye just snorts in response. "Oh please, like some silly password is going to be a problem for me."

"You're that good, huh?" Kara asks her and wonders what exactly she and Ward talked about while she was gone.

Skye seems different, less tense and somehow more alive.

—

She doesn't even have to study Ward to see what's different about him.

It feels like he was a cloudy, grey sky before and now he's bathing the world in sunshine and baby blue skies.

He's not smiling or whistling his favorite tune or anything like that but Kara is as much of a specialist as he is and even though he's trying to hide his emotions, his body betrays him.

It seems like she's got to be the one to watch their backs.

At least until the other two come back into the real world.

—

"Got it." Skye announces from the backseat. "Aaaaand we're online."

Ward digs a flash drive from his pocket and turns around to hand it to Skye.

"What's on it?" Skye asks, but she's already taken hold of it and plugged it in.

"Something that should help you hack into the Hydra servers."

Skye gives him an appreciative smile and starts to work.

* * *

><p>The familiar sound of Skye typing away on a laptop is like music to Ward's ears.<p>

He never realized how relaxing the sound is until he didn't hear it on a daily basis anymore.

He closes his eyes and it almost feels like they are on the bus again.

—

Ward has tried to tell himself countless times that he doesn't regret what he did to them.

Everything he did was to save Garrett.

But that's simply not true.

Garrett wanted him to infiltrate Coulson's team, gain his trust and get intel.

He never asked Ward to be vulnerable and form actual attachments.

But how could he not?

—

He had been compromised more than once.

The Berserker Staff.

Lorelei.

Both of which left Ward feeling weak and unprotected.

And forced him to deal with feelings he never wanted to acknowledge.

—

But the team had been there for him.

_Skye_ had been there for him.

Every step of the way.

She cared enough to seek him out and talk to him.

And Ward - stupid, weak Ward - let her get under his skin.

—

At the time, he thought of it as just another way to gain their trust and friendship.

Thinking back now, he realizes how wrong he was.

It wasn't just them, who had been fooled.

He, too, was a victim of his own games.

—

"Guys..." Skye's voice pulls him out of his thoughts and back into the car. "I think we might have a problem."

"Do I have to pull over?" Kara asks with a sigh.

"No, I don't think so." The other woman replies.

"What did you find out?" Ward throws in a little impatiently, twisting around in his seat to look at Skye.

"Hydra isn't after us. They don't even know I survived." Skye explains and their eyes meet. "They managed to dig Raina out of the city, but she.. she's not herself. It says here that she was _'unable to report'_ and that they are holding her in a cell."

"It's not like she doesn't deserve it." Kara growls.

"What else?" Ward asks quickly, not wanting to branch out too much.

"That's it, really. You two are on the 'unaccounted for' list, they are not too happy about that btw. I'm in the dead pile. They never sent anyone after any of us."

—

"So, it's not Hydra then." Kara concludes. "Maybe it _is _S.H.I.E.L.D. after all."

"No, it's not." Skye replies quickly. "I just checked their data stream and there's no updates on me or you. Besides they have other things to deal with."

At his questioning look, Skye simply shrugs. "Talbot found out S.H.I.E.L.D. being in San Juan, wants to meet Coulson to have a chat and all."

"Has Coulson agreed to it?" Ward asks, trying to keep his voice neutral.

He has his suspicions about Coulson's (not so) wellbeing and him personally meeting Talbot would disprove his theory.

"Nope." Skye replies and Ward nods slowly.

—

"Back to our little problem then." Kara says. "Ward, did you see anything suspicious all day?"

He shakes his head. "Whoever is after us knows what they are doing."

"How did you even know someone was after us?" Skye asks, directing the question to no one in particular.

"When I left to get supplies, back at the motel, I caught a glimpse of someone watching me. They were in the room down the hall. I just saw a hand, curled around the curtain to pull it back. He was wearing a ring, nothing fancy but with character. And later when I was at a store, I saw the same ring."

"Ok, so you're not totally paranoid then." Skye sighs. "But that doesn't mean we haven't shaken them off."

"It's possible." Kara replies with a frown. "But like Ward said, the guy was good. I almost missed him."

"Fine. Now that we're all rested and riled up, can we find a good place to get this show going?" Skye asks, leaning over the laptop to pick up some snacks.

"You're the one with the laptop." Ward points out and Skye rolls her eyes.

Fighting the urge to smile, Ward leans back against his seat.

—

He listens as Skye rips open a pack of something and starts eating.

It turns out to be chips, if he's going by the crunching sounds she's making.

Soon the car is once again filled with the sound of Skye working away on the laptop.

She even clicks her tongue every once in a while.

It feels like he's back on the bus.

—

No, it feels better.

Because this time it's real.

No lies, no hidden missions.

—

It feels like the one thing he never had and always wished for.

A home.

* * *

><p><em>AN: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. come find me on tumblr. __story and chapter title are from fall out boy - immortals._

_Please review and let me know if this got too sappy too fast._


	5. sometimes the only pay off

_A/N: thank you guys for the faves, follows and reviews!_

* * *

><p><strong>chapter v - sometimes the only pay off for having any faith (is when it's tested again and again everyday)<strong>

* * *

><p>A slow, satisfied smile stretches over Skye's face as she leans back against the seat. "I think, I found the perfect place."<p>

Her announcement triggers immediate reactions from both Ward and Kara.

Ward turns in his seat to face her, while Kara's eyes meet hers in the rearview mirror.

"Care to share your findings with the rest of the class?" Kara asks after a beat.

"There's an abandoned warehouse a few miles north of here. I even found some blueprints."

There's a long mental checklist Skye's going through as she speaks and that process alone reminds her of May.

Unbidden thoughts of her former SO come to her mind and she feels a lump forming in her throat.

—

She is pulled out of her thoughts, when Kara jerks the car to a sudden halt on the side of the road and twists around in her seat.

"Let me see the blueprints." Her voice is demanding and for a second she sounds just like May even without the mask affecting her voice.

Skye swallows and turns the laptop around, so that both Ward and Kara have a clear view of the screen.

"The main hall is here." She says, pointing at the screen.

It's an effort to keep her hand from shaking and Skye withdraws it almost immediately.

In her head, May tells her that she is on a mission and there's absolutely no time to be emotional.

Later, that's when she can deal with it.

Skye uses every technique May has ever taught her to get her mind back to the present.

—

"It has one door and two fire exits. There are about two dozen windows but they could only be used as entrance points if whoever is after us is the size of a cat."

Skye looks up to find Ward focussing on something on the corner of the map.

"What is it?" She asks, a little impatiently.

Ward meets her gaze and the look in his eyes is unreadable.

It unnerves her, but just like everything else, she files it away for later.

After a moment his eyes leave hers.

"The main hall has railings all around, right?"

He doesn't really have to say anything else, it's clear to Skye and Kara what he's hinting at.

—

"So, I'll position myself in the middle of the room and you two find cover behind the railings, keep an eye on me and the exits from above."

"Sounds like a solid plan." Kara muses, although she's frowning. "You just need to be close to some sort of cover, in case things go south."

"No problem." Skye says, her voice forcefully cheerful.

She feels Ward's eyes on her - again - and shuts the laptop, ignoring him.

The alternative would probably lead to another break down.

—

"Okay, let's get this party started." Kara announces, turning back to start the car. "And if we get out of this alive, I'll get us some pie for dinner."

"Perfect, but Ward absolutely hates pie, so I'll take his piece, too." Skye says and Kara chuckles. "You have yourself a deal."

"Can we hold off on discussing dinner plans until we're done with this?" Ward asks, his voice exasperated.

The way he puts emphasis on the word 'dinner' makes it clear how pie does not classify as dinner in his book and Skye can't help but smile at that.

For a tiny moment she lets herself remember all the good times on the plane and nostalgia fills her.

She remembers how she and Fitz used to tease Ward and how Ward would take it all too seriously.

But then she is reminded that Ward was undercover, spying on them - on Coulson - the whole time and that his reactions were probably all faked.

Her stomach turns.

—

"We're already done with our dinner plans, Mr. Grumpy." Kara says mockingly. "Now, we only need to cross off whoever is after us."

Skye tries her best to ignore the resentment she feels towards Ward, towards May, towards the whole world.

She tries, but she feels something nasty grow in the pit of her stomach, something that is yearning to be released.

—

Words from another life come to her, filling her with even more bitterness.

_Does everything just roll off your back?_

_No. If it helped, I'd rage all the time, but it doesn't._

—

Skye tries to remember the person, she once was.

Tries to think how that person thought rage wasn't helpful.

And realizes how much she's changed.

How much SHIELD and Ward have changed her.

—

Now the rage inside of her is begging to be left to its own devices.

To flow free and wreck havoc on everyone and everything around her.

Until Skye is the only one left standing in the ashes.

—

In that moment, Skye mourns the person she once was.

* * *

><p>They arrive at the warehouse just as the sun begins to set.<p>

It's a sturdy building, surrounded by a ten foot chain-link fence, that has been torn down in multiple places.

The setting sun bathes the landscape in warm colors but it does nothing to make the warehouse look any more inviting.

—

"Okay, this doesn't look creepy at all." Skye remarks sarcastically, as she gets out of the car.

Ward notes how she's got her hands balled into tight fists.

He knows that she's trying to hide how they are shaking.

Slowly he walks up to her, reaching out to lightly touch her shoulder.

She tenses at the contact and Ward feels something rush through his fingers and up his arms.

—

It stings a little.

Like someone pushing him against a wall.

They gasp at the same time, Skye turning around to face him in a whirlwind of brown hair.

As she does so, she takes a small step back and his hand falls away.

"I'm sorry." She says and her eyes are wide in horror.

"It's okay." Ward tries to give her a reassuring smile. "I shouldn't have snuck up on your like that."

Skye bites her lip and takes a deep breath.

—

Kara pops open the trunk of the car audibly and shoulders the duffle bag that contains their only rifle.

She possessed the foresight to pick it up before she carried Ward out of the trembling building back in San Juan.

Kara comes over to where Ward and Skye are standing and hands him the bag.

In return, Skye pulls out her gun and offers it to Kara.

Armed with only a rifle, hand gun and Skye's unpredictable abilities, they make their way towards the door.

—

The three of them are silent once they enter the warehouse.

Each step they take echoes in the eerily silent hall.

There are empty boxes and crates strewn all over the place.

After they stack some of the crates next to where Skye will position herself, Ward gets into position, assembling the rifle almost on autopilot.

Kara is on the other side of hall and Ward watches her as she looks through the boxes, closest to her.

Apparently she doesn't find anything that holds her interest, because after a while she simply grabs a crate and places it against the wall and sits down on it.

—

Rationally, Ward knows that it will be a while before anyone will come through the doors, but he can't help checking them every few seconds.

He's on edge and starts taking deep, measured breaths to calm himself.

Meanwhile, Skye looks like the embodiment of composure.

She sits on the ground, with her feet tucked under her and her back leaning against a crate.

The stolen computer is on her lap and Ward can see that she's pulling up a satellite feed of their immediate surroundings.

At least they'll have the advantage of knowing when to expect visitors.

It's not much, but it's something.

* * *

><p>Skye is starting to get bored.<p>

The energy bubbling in her body makes it almost impossible to sit still and her every nerve is prickling in anticipation.

She tries not to get excited but the prospect of finally getting to let all of this pent-up energy out of her, makes her feel a little lightheaded.

She tried striking up conversations with Ward and Kara, but both of them are too far away to talk to without screaming herself hoarse.

Besides, whenever she speaks she sounds breathless, like she just ran up flights of stairs.

So, instead she's been alternating between playing solitaire and checking the satellite feeds on the laptop for the past two hours.

After winning yet another round, she closes the game and decides to check the satellite feed again.

—

A gasp escapes her involuntarily and it's loud enough to alert the others.

"Skye?" Ward's voice echoes through the warehouse. "What's wrong?"

"The feed has gone dark." She replies, simultaneously trying to find out what exactly went wrong in the last three minutes since she last checked it.

"That sounds bad." She hears Kara say and agrees wholeheartedly.

—

Skye is distantly aware of Ward making his way down the stairs.

His footsteps are echoing loudly around her, sending tiny vibrations through her whole body.

But her attention is solely focused on figuring out who managed to get into her system.

It doesn't take her long and by the time Ward is by her side, Skye has found the IP address of whoever interrupted her connection to the satellite feeds.

When she sifts through the files, she finds one that was created a minutes ago.

It's a document containing a set of coordinates, a time and date and two words:

_Come alone_

—

Skye feels Ward's breath on her neck - it sends a shiver down her spine - and turns to look at him.

Their eyes meet and Skye already knows what he's going to say.

"It's a trap, Skye." His expression tells her that he figured out where this conversation is going before it even started.

"Could be, yes, but-" Skye starts, but that's when Kara finally joins them.

She places a hand on Skye's shoulder, as she leans down to get a good look at the screen and Skye's eyes go wide at the motion.

Kara's fingers gently press into her skin but it feels like she's created a direct line between them.

—

Skye is acutely aware of Kara's heart beat and each breath she takes.

She felt how the medic's heart had stopped beating in his chest, so it's not the first time, but this..

Unconsciously, Skye closes her eyes and just listens.

It feels like some part of her has moved into Kara's body.

She can feel the flexing of her muscles, the way her lungs expand as she inhales.

—

"Skye?"

The grip on her tightens and Skye feels a current run through her.

Before it can reach her shoulder and Kara's hand, Skye pulls herself away and slips off the crate.

She stumbles and the laptop crashes down next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" Kara is kneeling beside her and reaches out to touch her again.

"No!" Skye yells breathlessly, pushing herself back and out of Kara's reach again. "Don't touch me!"

—

Both Ward and Kara look at her in panic and Skye's heart violently beats against her chest.

She can feel the ground rumble under her fingers.

"Skye-" Ward starts, taking a step towards her.

He holds up his hands, palms facing her, like he did so often during his imprisonment.

It does nothing to calm Skye.

It only brings back more memories she wants to forget.

—

"It's okay." He says softly and squats down close to her. "I'm not going to touch you."

Kara joins him, both of their eyes on her.

Skye looks at one, that the other.

And the only thing she sees in their faces is worry.

"Just take a deep breath." Kara tells her.

—

Skye realizes then, that she's been taking quick, shallow breaths.

"You need to get away from me."

Her voice cracks and Skye feels tears pooling in her eyes.

"Skye, we're not going anywhere." Ward looks so sincere that Skye believes him.

—

The energy, Skye tried to keep down for hours, surges up within her and she hears the sound of glass shattering behind her.

"If bringing this building down on us will help, then by all means be my guest." Kara says and - Skye thinks she's imagining it - smiles. "But I was really hoping to get some pie later."

—

And that's what finally sends some sense of awareness through Skye's body.

The flow of energy lessens and Skye is able to take a deep breath.

And another.

—

"Pie sounds great right about now." Skye admits weakly, once the ground and her body stop shaking.

Ward lets out a chuckle and Kara's wearing one of her brilliant smiles. "Let's go then."

* * *

><p>Their walk back to the car is silent.<p>

Once they reach it, Ward gets into the drivers seat and waits as Kara stashes the duffle bag in the trunk and comes around the car to sit beside him.

He can't even hear Skye breathing in the backseat.

The laptop is back on her lap, but it remains closed.

Her hands are pressed flatly on it and Ward wonders, not for the first time, if just touching a laptop calms her.

—

He's worried.

Which is probably the understatement of the century, but there's a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ward wants to discuss the message, wants to tell Skye that there's no way in hell she goes to meet them alone.

But he also know it will be in vain.

Something is eating her up and being followed is just putting her under more stress.

—

Not knowing who is after them or why is making him feel helpless.

Ward hates feeling like that.

It reminds him of constant darkness, of not knowing when and if he'll ever see the light of day again.

With a sigh, he starts the car and drives them back onto the highway.

* * *

><p>By the time they find a halfway decent motel, Skye is fast asleep and Kara is trying to stifle another yawn.<p>

Their plan turned out to be a bust and now their only choice to face down their follower is to send Skye to meet them alone.

While Ward checks them in, Kara tries to wake Skye.

This time, she decides not to touch her.

Partly because she doesn't want her heart to explode, but mostly because there's no need to unsettle Skye.

—

It takes a while, but Skye finally blinks sleepily up at her.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere on the Texas-New Mexico-Border." Kara states simply.

With a nod, Skye sits up, rubbing her eyes and reaching for the laptop, that slipped onto the seat beside her while she slept.

—

Ward comes back with a set of keys dangling from his finger, just as they exit the car.

Skye brushes her tousled hair away from her face and gives them a shaky smile.

"I believe someone promised me some pie." She says.

Kara watches in amazement as Ward's shoulders relax.

He smiles and holds out the keys for Skye to take.

"Well, a promise is a promise." He replies and when Skye's fingers curl around the key almost timidly and brush against his, Ward's breath hitches.

—

Skye stands there, watching him with dark, unreadable eyes as he gets into the car and drives off into the darkness.

And Kara watches her for what feels like an eternity.

—

Skye's knees wobble a little and Kara's by her side in an instant, holding her up.

Instead of shoving her away, like the last time Kara touched her, Skye leans into her.

"Thanks." She mutters. "I guess, I'm just a little tired after that whole loosing control thing."

With a chuckle, Kara leads Skye to their room for the night.

—

It takes Ward longer than Kara thinks to come back and the way Skye is lying motionless on the bed, makes her worry.

Kara walks up to Skye and sits down next to her.

The bed shifts under her weight and Skye's eyes snap open.

A small smile spreads on her lips. "Hey."

Kara smiles back. "You okay?"

Skye nods. "Just tired."

"But you're not sleeping." She observes cautiously.

—

Skye sighs. "I can't."

Her voice is small and laced with so much pain.

She doesn't want to overstep any boundaries, but if Skye wants to talk, Kara won't stop her from doing so.

Kara understands at once. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

The other woman is silent for so long, that Kara thinks she won't answer.

—

She does, eventually. "I don't know."

Smiling a little, Kara shifts on the bed and leans against the headboard.

"How about I talk and you listen?"

Skye moves to mirror her position and looks at her. "Ok."

—

Skye isn't the only one wrestling with demons.

She isn't even the only one wrestling with demons that are part of herself.

That's what Kara tells herself when she decides to tell Skye about herself.

Hearing about her problems might distract Skye.

—

But deep down, Kara knows that she herself needs to get this off her chest.

She needs at least one other soul to know how she really feels.

—

Kara looks down at Skye and takes a little breath.

"I don't know how much you know about what Hydra did to me, but let me tell you it's worse than any physical injury they could have inflicted me with."

Skye looks at her with wide, compassionate eyes and it makes Kara's heart clench.

"Whitehall had me strapped up for days, telling me that I would be free if I only stopped believing in what S.H.I.E.L.D. stood for and started believing in Hydra. He wanted me stop thinking about humans as individuals with hopes and dreams of their own and see them as a means to an end. His end."

—

Kara clears her throat.

"At first, I could block him out just fine. But he made it impossible for me to even blink and I was in so much pain and he kept talking and talking, telling me that he would stop if I just agreed and I-"

Skye's hand finds and curls around hers.

It makes her feel warm all over.

"I remember fighting you." Kara tells her, her throat closing up again. "I didn't think, I couldn't. I was following Whitehall's orders, it was the only thing that mattered. It was more important than anything, even my own life."

—

"I'm so sorry, Kara." Skye says and Kara is surprised to find tears in the other woman's eyes. "I shouldn't have left you there. We should have taken you in, help you."

"It's too late to think about that now, Skye." She replies and feels a tear escape her, too. "You're here now."

"And I'm putting your life in danger." Her words are barely audible and Kara has the urge to pull her close. "No, you're not. You're reminding me of what it feels like to be human."

"Maybe we were always meant to help each other." Skye muses and she lets her head fall softly on Kara's shoulder.

—

Kara sits unmoving, listening to Skye's slow breathing and for the first time in a long time, she feels safe.

"Yeah, maybe we were."

* * *

><p>Ward feels an unpleasant ache on his way back to the motel.<p>

He almost forgot about his wounds on his ribs and notes absentmindedly that either Kara and Skye should check them out and change his bandages soon.

Knocking softly on the door with his free hand, the other carefully balancing the take-out boxes, he waits.

The lock clicks open and Kara opens the door for him.

"Took you long enough, I was starting to worry."

The corner of his mouth quirks up at that and he moves around her.

—

Skye's in one of the beds, curled up and sleeping soundly.

He hasn't kept track of her sleeping schedule but it feels like she is more often sleeping than not.

Setting the boxes down, he shrugs off his jacket, resisting the urge to wince as he does so.

"Hey, Kara." He says quietly, trying to sound casual. "If you're not too hungry, could you maybe check my wounds before we eat?"

—

Her eyes widen as she looks at him and it tells him that she's forgotten, too.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" She whispers scoldingly.

He shrugs, which sends a jolt of pain down his side and grimaces. "Slipped my mind."

With a roll of her eyes, Kara grabs the first aid kit and motions for him to follow her into the bathroom.

—

Once he takes his shirt off, Kara immediately removes his bandages.

He can't twist far enough to get a good luck and they are turned away from the mirror, so Ward can only watch Kara's face.

Her features are schooled into a perfectly composed specialist mask and it gives away nothing.

"So, am I dying?" He asks lightly.

It makes her look up at him, scowling slightly. "You will be, if you don't let me work in peace."

—

"Fine." Ward sighs in defeat.

She pushes and prods against his flesh and Ward bites his tongue to keep himself from gasping in pain.

"No infections, your stitches are fine, the wounds are starting to heal." She says, her voice clinical. "Under different conditions I would tell you to rest and lay back on field work for a few weeks, but..."

Their eyes meet and Ward smirks. "Though luck."

She bandages him up again and hands him his shirt.

"I have definitely earned myself some pie." Kara mutters, after washing her hands.

She leaves the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her.

—

Ward puts on his shirt and washes his hands, too.

By the time he comes out of the bathroom, Kara has picked up the boxes of pie and carried them over to Skye's bed.

The two of them are sitting crosslegged on it, facing each other and wearing identical gleeful smiles.

—

"I can't believe you actually got us apple pie, Ward." Skye laughs, her fork picking up a huge bit of pie.

Rolling his eyes, Ward picks up the remaining box and unwraps his sandwich.

Skye's gaze lands on it, she's halfway through chewing her latest bite, but swallows it impatiently. "Is that a turkey sandwich?"

His eyes narrow as he nods, remembering Skye's fondness for sharing food.

"Do you want some?" He asks and she nods vigorously.

He's far too relieved to be disgruntled about sharing his sandwich, so he walks over to the bed and offers it to her.

—

"Oh, no." Skye giggles - she actually giggles. "I only want a bite."

She grabs his arm and pulls him down to sit between her and Kara, hands him her box with the rest of her pie to hold and takes a bite of his sandwich.

"Mmh." She groans, closing her eyes as she chews.

—

After she swallows the bite, she looks back at him. "Oh come on, Ward, don't look at me like that. I only took a tiny bite."

He shakes himself mentally and looks down at his sandwich. "You sure, you don't want more?"

"I want some." Kara pipes up, around a mouthful of pie and Ward groans. "Seven billion people on this planet and I end up with the two people, who can't make adult dinner decisions."

Skye snorts and when she meets Kara's eyes, both of them start laughing like he just told them the funniest joke they ever heard.

* * *

><p>After dinner Skye feels tension building between them.<p>

It's nothing tangible or overly obvious, but it's clear that both Kara and Ward want to discuss the message they received earlier today.

At one point, Skye figures she can't delay it any longer.

"I'm going to go." She says into the room and both Kara and Ward look at her with sullen expressions.

—

"I hoped, we would do this in the morning." Kara groans, her eyes fixed on Ward, who is visibly readying himself for a long reply.

"Skye, I know you want to go but we don't know who sent that message. We don't know how many people will be waiting there and if they will be armed. We already know they are good at hacking and tracking, but that's about it. You would be going in blind. It's a risk we can't take." He says, his voice calm.

His argument is reasonable, Skye can't deny that.

But there's also the fact that whoever it is, has been tracking them for days.

—

"Don't you think I know all of that?" She asks, standing up from the bed and walking towards him. "I know that it's a risk and that it's probably really stupid, but it's the only chance we've got to find out who's after me. After us." She amends.

She sits down next to him on the couch, softly touching his arm. "Look, Ward, I know you're worried about me, but I'm tired of running away. I want answers and I want to know what they want from me."

He sighs, not meeting her eyes.

After a long time, he says, "Ok. But we need to find a gun shop. You're not going in there unarmed."

—

Skye was ready to argue with him for hours about this and is a little surprised he gave in so quickly. "Deal."

Finally, he looks up at her. "And you should get some sleep."

Rolling her eyes, Skye stands up and walks towards the bathroom door.

"We have about 34 hours until the meeting, I suggest we come up with a better plan than last time." Kara remarks and Skye shoots her a small smile.

"We'll do that in the morning." Ward says and with that he kicks off his shoes and lies back on the couch. "We all could use some sleep."

* * *

><p><em>AN: cross-posted on ao3 under the same pen name. come find me on tumblr. __story and chapter title are from fall out boy - immortals._

_Please review and let me know if you're bored with this already._


End file.
